{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:51:55Z","timestamp":1790297515115,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]],"date-time":"2021-11-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635897600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]],"date-time":"2021-11-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635897600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000037","name":"Institute of Health Services and Policy Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CTW\u2013155387"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CTW\u2013155387"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000037","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Can J Public Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Initial public health guidance related to sex and COVID-19 infection focused on reducing partner number. We characterized individuals having a higher partner number during the initial phases of the pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>In British Columbia, the initial wave of COVID-19 cases was from March 14 to May 19, 2020, followed by gradual lifting of public health restrictions. We conducted an e-mail survey of existing sexual health service clients during the period of\u00a0July 23\u00a0to\u00a0August 4, 2020. We used bivariate logistic regression to examine the association between the reported number of sexual partners since the start of the pandemic and key variables (level of significance <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.01).<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Of the 1196 clients in our final sample, 42% reported 2+\u2009partners since the start of the pandemic, with higher odds among participants who were men who have sex with men, and single or in open relationships prior to the pandemic. This group was more likely to perceive stigma associated with having sex during the pandemic, and had the highest use of strategies to reduce risk of COVID-19 infection during sexual encounters (mainly focused on reducing\/avoiding partners, such as masturbation, limiting sex to a \u201cbubble\u201d, and not having sex).<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Sexual health service clients in BC with 2+\u2009partners during the initial phases of BC\u2019s pandemic used strategies to reduce their risk of COVID-19 infection during sex. Our study provides support for a harm reduction approach to guidance on COVID-19 risk during sex, and highlights the need for further research on stigma related to having sex during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]],"date-time":"2021-11-03T14:02:45Z","timestamp":1635948165000},"page":"973-983","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Partner number and use of COVID-19 risk reduction strategies during initial phases of the pandemic in British Columbia, Canada: a survey of sexual health service clients"],"prefix":"10.17269","volume":"112","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5978-6843","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mark","family":"Gilbert","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hsiu-Ju","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aidan","family":"Ablona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Travis","family":"Salway","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gina","family":"Ogilvie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jason","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurence","family":"Campeau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catherine","family":"Worthington","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Grace","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Troy","family":"Grennan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"566_CR1","unstructured":"ACT. (2020). Gay guys, sex, PnP & COVID-19. ACT. https:\/\/www.actoronto.org\/health-information\/gay-men\/covid-sex. Accessed May 31, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-020-02853-x","author":"M Alpalhao","year":"2020","unstructured":"Alpalhao, M., & Filipe, P. (2020). The impacts of isolation measures against SARS-CoV-2 infection on sexual health. AIDS and Behavior. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10461-020-02853-x","journal-title":"AIDS and Behavior"},{"key":"566_CR3","unstructured":"BC Centre for Disease Control. (2020a). COVID-19 and sex [Archived]. http:\/\/www.bccdc.ca\/health-info\/diseases-conditions\/covid-19\/prevention-risks\/covid-19-and-sex BC Centre for Disease Control. Accessed May 30, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR4","unstructured":"BC Centre for Disease Control. (2020b). COVID-19 and sex. BC Centre for Disease Control. http:\/\/www.bccdc.ca\/health-info\/diseases-conditions\/covid-19\/prevention-risks\/covid-19-and-sex Accessed October 15, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR5","unstructured":"Bricker, D. (2020). Half of Canadians (48%) getting tired of following public health rules about COVID-19. Ipsos-Reid. https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-ca\/news-polls\/half-of-canadians-getting-tired-of-following-public-health-rules. Accessed Nov 23, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR6","unstructured":"CBC News. (2020). The BCCDC has frank new guidelines for sex during a pandemic. https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/sex-during-a-pandemic-covid-19-bccdc-guidelines-1.5658567 CBC\/Radio Canada. Accessed 15 Nov 2020."},{"key":"566_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofaa536","author":"EPF Chow","year":"2020","unstructured":"Chow, E. P. F., Hocking, J. S., Ong, J. J., Phillips, T. R., & Fairey, C. K. (2020). Sexually transmitted infection diagnoses and access to a sexual health service before and after the national lockdown for COVID-19 in Melbourne, Australia. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ofid\/ofaa536","journal-title":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases"},{"key":"566_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1101\/2020.08.10.20171348","author":"J Coombe","year":"2020","unstructured":"Coombe, J., Kong, F., Bittleston, H., Williams, H., Tomnay, J., Vaisey, A., Malta, S., Goller, J., Temple-Smith, M., Bourchier, L., Lau, A., Chow, E., & Hocking, J. S. (2020). Love during lockdown: Findings from an online survey examining the impact of COVID-19 on the sexual practices of people living in Australia. Sexually Transmitted Infections. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/2020.08.10.20171348","journal-title":"Sexually Transmitted Infections"},{"key":"566_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1101\/2020.06.07.20113142","author":"AFL de Sousa","year":"2020","unstructured":"de Sousa, A. F. L., Oliveira, L. B., Schneider, G., Queiroz, A. A. F. L., Carvalho, H. EFd., Araujo, T. MEd., Camargo, E. L. S., Brignol, S., Mendes, I. A. C., McFarland, W., & Fronteira, I. (2020). Casual sex among MSM during the period of social isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic: Nationwide study in Brazil and Portugal. medRxiv. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/2020.06.07.20113142","journal-title":"medRxiv"},{"key":"566_CR10","unstructured":"DiManno, R. (2020). Caught with his pants down. The ins and outs of sex in the age of COVID-19. The Star. https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/opinion\/2020\/05\/06\/caught-with-his-pants-down-the-ins-and-outs-of-sex-in-the-age-of-covid-19.html Accessed Nov 15, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"D\u00f6ring, N. (2020). How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our sexualities? An overview of the current media narratives and research hypotheses. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 2765\u20132778. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10508-020-01790-z.","DOI":"10.1007\/s10508-020-01790-z"},{"issue":"3","key":"566_CR12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.6.3.e34","volume":"6","author":"G Eysenbach","year":"2004","unstructured":"Eysenbach, G. (2004). Improving the quality of web surveys: The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Journal of Medical Internet Research, 6(3), e34. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/jmir.6.3.e34","journal-title":"Journal of Medical Internet Research"},{"issue":"2","key":"566_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053325","volume":"95","author":"M Gilbert","year":"2018","unstructured":"Gilbert, M., Thomson, K., Salway, T., Haag, D., Grennan, T., Fairley, C. K., Buchner, C., Krajden, M., Kendall, P., Shoveller, J., & Ogilvie, G. (2018). Differences in experiences of barriers to STI testing between clients of the internet-based diagnostic testing service GetCheckedOnline.com and an STI clinic in Vancouver, Canada. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 95(2), 151\u2013156. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053325","journal-title":"Sexually Transmitted Infections"},{"key":"566_CR14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Grace, D., Jollimore, J., MacPherson, P., Strang, M. J. P., & Tan, D. H. S. (2017). The pre-exposure prophylaxis-stigma paradox: Learning from Canada\u2019s first wave of PrEP users. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 32(1), 24\u201330. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/apc.2017.0153","DOI":"10.1089\/apc.2017.0153"},{"key":"566_CR15","unstructured":"Grace, D., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Lachowsky, N. J., Moore, D., Jollimore, J., Grey, C., Brennan, D. J., Tan, D. H. S., Gilbert, M., Sang, J., Gaspar, M., Perez-Brumer, A., Lambert, G., Noor, W., Ferlatte, O., Salway, T., Burchell, A., & Trevor, H. A. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on sexual behaviour, PrEP use, and healthcare access among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Canada [Conference presentation abstract]. The 30th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV\/ADIS Research, Virtual. https:\/\/www.seatoskymeetings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/CAHR-2021-Abstract-Book-updated-May-3.pdf. Accessed May 5, 2021."},{"issue":"3","key":"566_CR16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1097\/QAI.0000000000002462","volume":"85","author":"MA Hammoud","year":"2020","unstructured":"Hammoud, M. A., Maher, L., Holt, M., Degenhardt, L., Jin, J., Murphy, D., Bavinton, B., Grulich, A., Lea, T., Haire, B., Bourne, A., Saxton, P., Vaccher, S., Ellard, J., Mackie, B., Batrouney, C., Bath, N., & Prestage, G. (2020). Physical distancing due to COVID-19 disrupts sexual behaviours among gay and bisexual men in Australia: Implications for trends in HIV and other sexually transmissible infections. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes, 85(3), 309\u2013315. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/QAI.0000000000002462","journal-title":"Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes"},{"key":"566_CR17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Hart, T. A., Sharvendiran, R., Chikermane, V., Kidwai, A., & Grace, D. (2021). At the intersection of homophobia and racism: Sociocultural context and the sexual health of South Asian Canadian gay and bisexual men. Stigma and Health. Advance online publication. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/sah0000295","DOI":"10.1037\/sah0000295"},{"key":"566_CR18","unstructured":"Kibbe, K. (2020). Lockdown might lead to a drop in STI rates, but it could also spark an increase in STI stigma. InsideHook. https:\/\/www.insidehook.com\/daily_brief\/health-and-fitness\/coronavirus-lockdown-sti-stigma. Accessed Nov 15, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/01490400.2020.1774016","author":"JJ Lehmiller","year":"2020","unstructured":"Lehmiller, J. J., Garcia, J. R., Gesselman, A. N., & Mark, K. P. (2020). Less sex, but more sexual diversity: Changes in sexual behavior during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Leisure Sciences. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/01490400.2020.1774016","journal-title":"Leisure Sciences"},{"issue":"7","key":"566_CR20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1225","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsxm.2020.04.380","volume":"17","author":"W Li","year":"2020","unstructured":"Li, W., Li, G., Xin, C., Wang, Y., & Yang, S. (2020). Challenges in the practice of sexual medicine in the time of COVID-19 in China. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 17(7), 1225\u20131228. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jsxm.2020.04.380","journal-title":"The Journal of Sexual Medicine"},{"key":"566_CR21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-020-02856-8","author":"C Logie","year":"2020","unstructured":"Logie, C., & Turan, J. (2020). How do we balance tensions between COVID-19 public health responses and stigma mitigation? Learning from HIV Research. AIDS and Behavior. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10461-020-02856-8","journal-title":"AIDS and Behavior"},{"key":"566_CR22","unstructured":"McKay, T., Heene, J., Gonzales, G., Quarles, R., & Garcia, S. (2020). Sexual behavior change among gay and bisexual men in the US. https:\/\/ssrn.com\/abstract=3614113. Accessed Nov 15, 2020."},{"key":"566_CR23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1556\/2006.2020.00015","author":"G Mestre-Bach","year":"2020","unstructured":"Mestre-Bach, G., Blycker, G. R., & Potenza, M. N. (2020). Pornography use in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Behavioral Addictions J Behav Addict. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1556\/2006.2020.00015","journal-title":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions J Behav Addict"},{"key":"566_CR24","unstructured":"Rodriguez, M. (2020). We need a plan for how to have casual sex again. The Body. https:\/\/www.thebody.com\/article\/casual-sex-covid-19. Accessed May 30, 2019."},{"key":"566_CR25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-020-02894-2","author":"TH Sanchez","year":"2020","unstructured":"Sanchez, T. H., Zlotorzynska, M., Rai, M., & Baral, S. D. (2020). Characterizing the impact of COVID-19 on men who have sex with men across the United States in April, 2020. AIDS and Behavior. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10461-020-02894-2","journal-title":"AIDS and Behavior"},{"key":"566_CR26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7326\/M20-2004","author":"JL Turban","year":"2020","unstructured":"Turban, J. L., Keuroghlian, A. S., & Mayer, K. H. (2020). Sexual health in the SARS-CoV-2 era. Annals of Internal Medicine. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7326\/M20-2004","journal-title":"Annals of Internal Medicine"}],"container-title":["Canadian Journal of Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9\/fulltext.html","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,7]],"date-time":"2021-12-07T15:06:21Z","timestamp":1638889581000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]]},"references-count":26,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]}},"alternative-id":["566"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17269\/s41997-021-00566-9","relation":{},"ISSN":["0008-4263","1920-7476"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0008-4263","type":"print"},{"value":"1920-7476","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,3]]},"assertion":[{"value":"23 December 2020","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"30 July 2021","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"3 November 2021","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of British Columbia\u2019s Behavioural Research Ethics Board (certificate #H18-00437) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval"}},{"value":"Sexual health service clients had previously consented to be contacted for research purposes prior to this study. The survey landing page included necessary information for informed consent, with proceeding to the survey taken as consenting to participate.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable; no individual\u2019s data or image was published.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":5,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflict of interest"}}]}}